PSI FAQ - Accreditation Section
Undergraduate
What is the procedure for the accreditation of undergraduate courses
in psychology?
Institutions considering making an application should read and complete
where necessary two documents, “Guidelines on the Accreditation
of Courses Leading to a First Qualification in Psychology” and
the “Application For Accreditation Of First Qualification In
Psychology”. Both documents are available in the Accreditation area of the site.
Applicants should note that, where application is made for the first
time, a Visiting Accreditation Panel will visit the institution to
discuss the submission and to assess resources available to the course.
Areas of major concern to Panel members will be research skills training,
support for practical work of various kinds, and the number of fully-qualified
academic staff available to students on the course. The Panel will
write a report that will be considered by the Undergraduate Accreditation
Committee. That committee will in due course make a recommendation
to PSI Council. The final decision rests with Council which may accredit
course for periods of up to five years.
What undergraduate courses are currently accredited by PSI?
An up to date list of undergraduate
courses currently accredited
by PSI is available here.
Postgraduate
How do I activate the PSI accreditation process?
The Postgraduate accreditation process consists of two parts. Firstly,
all documentation associated with the course is thoroughly examined
by the Visiting
Accreditation Panel. An on-site visit then takes place to meet with appropriate
teaching staff and students. Institutions who wish to have their courses
accredited should take the following steps:
- Write to the Honorary Secretary of the Society giving a
brief description of the course that they wish to have accredited.
Through
informal consultation, the Society (through the Professional
Development Panel) will indicate if the course falls generally
within the
remit of the Society’s accreditation criteria. If it
does, the formal document listing the accreditation criteria
appropriate
to the course
will be forwarded to the institution and the accreditation
process will be activated.
- The Society will then set up the
Visiting Accreditation Team of suitably qualified people
who will request the following
documentation:
i) A general statement about the overall philosophy and orientation
of the course.
ii) The syllabus, including a description of formally
taught modules, workshops, seminars and tutorials, placements,
together with amount
of time spent on each component.
iii) Examples of any documentation
given to the students on the course, e.g. reading lists.
iv)
A description of assessment methods and how they contribute
to the final assessment. Examples of exam papers essay topics
and
other
set work.
v) List of placement locations used for the course,
the criteria used to select placements and how they are monitored
and addressed.
An example of student reports on placement (if any).
vi) Criteria
for selecting students onto the course, how students are selected
and who is involved in the selection process. Recent
statistics on the selected students and some indication of
the number of applications for places each year.
vii) A description
of how the course is structured and organised, lines of responsibility,
methods of communication, etc.
viii) Membership of Board of Examiners
ix) Curriculum Vitae
for staff associated with the course, teaching staff and supervisors,
showing qualifications and relevant experience.
x) Statement
of resources available to the course.
xi) Documentation as may
be required for the specific postgraduate professional qualification
sought.
The Panel may subsequently request other documentation.
- At a date suitable to all parties, the Panel will arrange
an onsite visit to meet the staff and supervisors associated
with
the course,
as well as the students.
- Based on the information in the documentation form the visit,
the Panel will prepare an initial report which will be forwarded
(within three months) to the course organiser to check for factual
accuracy.
At this stage, the report will not include recommendations
or decisions.
- A final report, including recommendations
will be forwarded to Council for approval and will then be sent
to the institution
within
six months of the on-site visit.
- Accreditation procedures
can have the following outcomes:
i) Full accreditation for a five year period
ii) Provisional accreditation with major and/or minor recommendations
to be met within a set period
iii) No accreditation
- A fee will be set which will be met by the institution.
What guidelines has PSI produced in relation to the specialisms within
the profession?
There are specific guidelines for different specialisms in psychology,
such as Clinical, Counselling, Educational and Health psychology.
What postgraduate courses are currently accredited by PSI?
An up to date list of postgraduate
courses currently accredited
by PSI is available here.
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